The Flame Returns
by xxxWordWeaver
Summary: Reposted: My first fanfic! Kite dissapeared from The World R:1 5 years ago until an old friend convinced him to go back. How is he and The World different from before? And what will he find there? What trouble will rise once again? R&R pls! no shounen ai.
1. Introduction

Disclaimer: I do not own .hack//!!! Thanks for understanding!

Hey there people!!! This is my first fanfic ever so please forgive me if you have some difficulty understanding it.

This fanfic was inspired by one of the other fanfic called Broken Mirrors. So if you kinda like this, I recommend you to read that.

Thanks for reading and enjoy!!

I'm a big fan of Kite!!!! Kyaaa!!! Haseo is in deep shit!! Wkwkwkwkwkw!!! (insane much)

Noboruo Sai sighed aloud as Yasuhiko dragged him from his class and pinned him onto the toilet wall.

'Yasu, can you tell me why you are pinning me in the position where it looks like you're about to do something to me….'

The former Heavy swordsman snapped awake and immediately releases his friend's wrist. He grinned at the shorter college student sheepishly and laughed embarrassingly

'Sorry Sai, but you see, I have an important announcement to make!!!!!' Yasu jumped up and down like an excited bunny. Sai sweatdropped and glared at Yasu.

'And may I know why are you doing it in the toilet? I bet there are thousands of people outside who would have loved to listen to your story.' Sai looked extremely annoyed and sleepy. In fact, he was more than annoyed, he was furious. Because a certain Azure disturbed him from his precious sleep just when he needed it the most. It was true. The latter stayed awake the whole night studying for the finals. If he doesn't maintain his position in class, he would blame it all on Yasu.

Yasu was taken aback by what Sai said but brushed it aside,' this is because I don't want anyone overhearing us!!!' He whispered urgently.

'If this is something about Yahiko-chan, you can forget it!!! I'm going back to sleep!!' Sai ended their conversation with that but Yasu grabbed his wrist again and brought him back.

'This isn't about Yahiko-chan!!!' Yasu whispered urgently with a slight blush on his cheeks.

Sai was shock to see that the power of that girl's name could actually embarrass the almighty Azure Yasuhiko. Yasu has been dating Yahiko-chan for 3 months now and he still couldn't believe that he is dating the prettiest girl in school. He was right. Uzume Yahiko-chan is very popular among the boys because of her slim figure and her brains. But she isn't the only one being chased after. Yasu is also a very popular guy in terms of looks. His hazel colored hair could easily attract the girls. His eyes were sharp, that gives off the aura of someone cold, but he is a very kind person at heart, Sai could confirm that. Yasuhiko is a very fun going guy to have around but too much of it will make you sick. Yasu is famous not only for his looks, but his talents as well. This includes music and sports. Yasu specializes in the trumpet and he is very good at it. He also represents the school's soccer team.

'That's funny, because this is the first time hearing you not mentioning Yahiko-chan in a conversation.' Sai smirked and Yasu's eyebrow twithed. _Seriously, this guy sure has one good mouth….. _

'Very funny Sai. Now would you just listen to me?!' Yasu was getting very annoyed by Sai's cocky remarks. Sai finally gave up and let his friend spill it all out on him.

'Alright, alright….. Come on, bring it.' With one final sigh of exasperation, Sai leaned back on the sink and listened to what he has to say.

There!!! All done with the first chapter!! Kinda shity, but it's ok, I like it!!

Next chapter will be up soon!!! So for the time being, R&R pls people!!

Thank you, thank you!!!!

I'm logging out!


	2. Convincing

Hey there people!! Chapter 2 is up and this took me quite some time with my holidays and all...ha-ha''' ( that's not a good excuse damn it)

Well, anyway, this chapter will be a bit Sai-centric, so if do not like these kind of stories, I suggest you skip this chapter, but this is the beginning of the story where it describes why 'Kite' quit The World.

Cheers guys!! Hope you enjoy it!!

'Uhem… I, Yasuhiko Uremashi, would like to present Noboruo Sai, with a very special gift and hopes that he will not discard of it!' With one hand on his chest, he said out that 'presentation of gift' aloud like he was going to win an award.

Silence.

'Well?!?!?!?! Why aren't you asking what it is???' Yasu sweatdropped at Sai's bored face.

'If you are going to give me this 'gift', you might as well give it to me straightaway.' Sai stated the obvious.

Scratching his head nervously, Yasu pulled out a small black box. Sai took it and stared at him puzzled.

'What is this suppose to be? A Jack in a box?' Sai gave Yasu a frown. Yasu grinned,' Open it you idiot!!!'

Sai slowly opened the box and saw a black CD casing inside.

Before Yasu could even ask about his opinion, Sai threw it back to him. Glaring at Yasu with all the evilness he possesses, Sai turned his back on him.

Barely audible, Sai said,' why do you keep giving me that whenever a newer version comes out? You know what I will do with it.'

Yasu looked at his dear friend sadly, a sad smile on his face, 'Sai, I just want to see you smile again. W-Wait!!! Y-Yes, you do smile, but sometimes I do not know whether it's your true smile or not. A smile should come from the heart, not some fake.'

Sai gave Yasu a grateful and sad look,' Thank you Yasu. But you know what had happened the last time I played. I will not allow myself to ever let that happen again.'

Yasu was starting to lose patience now,' But look at you!!! You are alright!!! Everything in your life up to now is still fine!!! History will not repeat itself!! Can't you accept that Sai?!?!'

Sai glared at Yasu darkly,' and do you remember the time you last played? Don't forget Yasu, the last time you played, something happened to you. Can you still face that if you go back in?'

Yasu looked at the ground and said with a heartbreaking voice,' I know what happened last time. Those scary memories when I was unconscious. But don't you see Sai? Every minute you are inside, you feel like….. you love it more and more even with all those sad and horrifying moments you went through.'

'Remember the first time you played? Remember the first time you won? Remember the time when you came to my rescue? Remember the first time you met all those people? Remember the first time you fought? Remember the feeling of how you first stepped into that place? Remember saving and meeting 'her'? Remember the feeling when you quit for good? Those are no dreams Sai, they are damn real!! Those are your feelings!!! I want you to remember that!! That's why I kept giving you one every time a new version comes out!! So that you could feel that moment once more!!! That's why I kept persuading you to go back!! That's why……..I made an oath never to go back unless you will.'

With that, Yasu turned his back and walked out of the toilet, leaving the silent teen to his thoughts. Walking out, Yasu spotted Yahiko-chan and both of them went to their class but Yasu was not in the mood for classes.

Aahhhhh… the wonderful feeling of completion….haha!!

R&R pls my dear readers!!

( Do you realize there are a lot of 'haha's in this story? Haha'')

logging out! Peace out!


	3. Mask

Hello my fellow readers, I know you've been waiting for this long awaited chapter, so I made it extra long!! =P

Thank you guys for putting up with me because I've been having difficulties with my computer lately.

My fellow readers, I have a request for you guy, pls Review!! And pester me to keep writing, if not I would get really lazy and forget.

Well, here it is!! R&R pls!!

Disclaimer: I do not own .HACK//!!!

Chapter 3

Seeing Yasu disappear with his girlfriend, Sai came out and walked back to class with thoughts occupying him.' _Remember the first time quit?!?!' Why..? Why did he have to mention that?!?! W-Wait….did he say that he will not go back unless I do? Does that mean he can go back but he doesn't want to??!?! For…….me..?_

With a frustrated sigh, he looked at the reflection of the window. He sees a teen with chocolate colored messy, hair. It was neither long nor short, around the in – between, a few inches above the shoulder.He sees himself with slightly sharp emerald eyes and a slender, tall, well-built body. As he walks through the corridors, he could hear girls fawning over him. He hates it when girls do that. To be honest, he was quite popular around the school as well. Not only the girls, but boys too. He was the captain of the basketball team and usually one of the top 3 in class. He, like Yasu, also possesses musical talent. Sai is very good at playing the violin and the piano. Although he seems perfect, he has an attitude problem with the seniors. With his fellow friends, he is cheerful and can sometimes be very determined. He has no interest in girls whatsoever. The only name of a girl that once caught his attention was Akira, also known as Blackrose. However, that was the past and Sai no longer has any feelings for her but of an old friend.

Classes flew by for Yasu and Sai, and soon they were on their way home. It was the last day of school and Yasu had invited Sai to go over to his house to have fun just a few days ago. Sai felt a little guilty about what he did to Yasu. He wondered if Yasu even want him to go over today. The duo met up at the school entrance at 12pm. They both exchanged guilty looks before Sai opened his mouth to apologize.

'Look Yasu, you are my best friend. You understand how I feel the most. If that is so, you should realize why I do not want to go back. I'm sorry..'

'Sai…….look. I'm sorry too. I mean, you look like a zombie nowadays ya know… I want you to just loosen up. I just hope that you could just step in once, then you could log back out!! Just once!!!' Yasu pleaded sorrowfully.

'Yasu..' Sai gave his childhood friend a look. Yasu caught a glimpse of his friend's true emotions before Sai quickly put on his mask again. What Yasuhiko saw made the sturdy jockey feel as if his heart was to fall apart. Sai's face held the emotions of one so old and so young. The emotions hidden in those emerald eyes showed remorse, tiredness, gratefulness, and most of all, guilt. And yet when he looked at his face, it showed a lost child looking for his fated path.

But also, it showed years of experience of an old wise man, as if he had seen more than he could. Those facial expressions were startlingly fitting for someone such as Sai. Yet at the same time, it did not seem right.

Yasuhiko clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, unable to make a comeback after Sai gave him a glance of his true feelings behind the mask he had built up for so long.

Yasu gave a loud sigh and finally relented, "Alright…but it's only a temporary truce of this subject. We shall continue it another time. Deal?"

Sai gave an obvious look of exasperation and gratefulness. "Yea, yea, whatever…"

"Hey! You're supposed to say 'deal'!"

"uh-huh, sure… anything you say Yasu,"

"Don't you dare break this promise you hear me?!?"

"Whoever said I promised you anything?"

"Why…YOU!!!"

And so they headed off to Yasuhiko's house while arguing the rest of the way, of course, it was one-sided.

"Tell me something Yasu, when you said temporary dropped the subject, did 'temporary' imply to an hour later, or did you forget what temporary meant?" Sai's right brow was twitching in annoyance and he could feel a major headache coming his way.

Before him, stood two LCD computers laden with heaps of junk food. Of course that would be very normal except that the Heavyswordsman decided to complete it off with headsets, joysticks, and the most despising of all, a black CD casing in front one of them.

"……Yaaasssuuuhhhiikkooooooo……" At that moment, Yasu could feel an evil vibe radiating from his best friend. He gave an involuntary shudder and hesitated to look at him.

"Ah..hahaha… so you noticed Sai, hehe, I was thinking that maybe you would like to, umm, well have a quick peek at the new Mac Anu…? Ehh, Sai, what are you doing with that…?"

Behind the Descendant of Fiana stood a very, very angry former Twin Blade, holding what looks like a baseball bat which lays the fate of his best friend.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

TBC

There you have it guys! Don't forget to review!!


	4. Falling

Hey guys! I know, I know, I'm very very late. And I really hope you'll forgive me, so I'll be posting up another chapter after this one as a reward for your kind patience!

Disclaimer: I don't own .Hack//!!

Don't forget to review!!

**Chapter 4: Falling**

Sai let out a huff as he slumped down on the chair. He had been chasing his 'best friend' all around his place and that said friend was now lying on the floor with three giant bumps swollen on his head.

_I swear, that guy's gonna be the death of me. _Sai felt an annoying throb in his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. _Urrghhh, great…now I have a bugging headache. And guess who's fault was it?_

Sai swirled around in his seat and stared at the blank monitor. A black button was protruding out of the CPU. Just one push and the promise he made to himself years ago would be broken. Anyway, what would he do in The World R:2? He has no goal or any particular objective, _except…Damn it Sai! Get a hold of yourself! I can't just go looking for them like some lost puppy! They're no even hum- _

He caught himself just in time before that unfaithful train of thought brings him back more unwanted memories. Sai shook himself and made a stand to get out of the chair when suddenly a tan wrist grasped him by the wrist. He looked up to see Yasuhiko staring at him, his eyes hard and unwavering.

"Oh no you don't you stubborn, thick-headed egg. You were once the saint and hero of The World. I'm not letting what you and everyone did go to a waste!"

And with that, Yasu forced his best friend back down and swiveled the chair so it was facing the computer. With practiced speed (probably a habit from the eagerness to log in whenever he got home), he booted the PC up, pushed in the black CD to the drive and plugged in the goggles.

Before Sai could open his mouth, he was forced into the headgear. His vision went blank for a moment as Yasu held the mpX-visor against his eyes. It was starting to hurt and he struggled to peel his friend's hands off, before he heard a strange clicking sound.

The sound of the keyboard and mouse.

_Why that bastard! Is he logging in for me? I knew I shouldn't have told him the password those years ago! Oh, he's so gonaa regret maki-_

Sai cut off his thoughts abruptly when the screen went white for a couple of minutes before a round loading circle appeared at the middle of the screen. He couldn't believe it! When he could have fought his friend back (he was strong enough to beat up Yasu), he had subconsciously allowed Yasu to log him in instead of doing it himself. He cursed himself silently for being so mentally weak.

Before anything could happen, Sai saw the homepage, where his character was still there, unchanged after so many years; everything was still intact, except for his level of course. But all his abilities, weapons and items were still there, even those from the last version.

Sai stared long and hard at his character. Teal spiky hair and dark emerald eyes, clad in the magnificent orange-red attire Aura had adorned him in. Sai mentally winced as he saw how puny his character was, _and I defeated the Phases like that??_

Beside him, he heard another PC being booted up and realized Yasu had released his death grip on him and started to log himself in as well. _Guess I can't really blame him after all the worry I caused him. I shouldn't be doing this, yet I still am._

Sai moved his cursor to modify his character's height. There's no way he was going to stay as a scrawny brat. Just when he was about to 'Kite's' height, the whole screen seemed to fuzz.

He blinked.

And suddenly strands of data started to shoot out of the screen, as if it was grabbing him into the computer.

He struggled with the headgear, only to find it stuck, and as he pulled on his visor, electric statics flew out of it.

He could hear Yasu calling out to him. _What the hell-?_

The strands of data suddenly became wilder and it was blood red. It made a grab for Sai.

"Sai!!" _Is that Yasu? Go away or it will get you too!_

He made to push Yasu away, but he couldn't find him in all the messed up confusion. Everything was in blurs and chaos.

His short hesitation gave the black data a chance to grab Kite's 'wrists'. When he looked down, he saw that he was in his character's body .

Sai swerved in his seat and tumbled backwards, bringing the monitor screen down along with him.

He felt himself falling, deeper and deeper into the darkness, until it swallowed him. Before he lost conscious, an unbearable pain coursed through his entire system.

Nobuo Sai was unconscious before he hit the floor.

**Hope you guys like that chapter! The next chapter will be up soon! So you guys got a litlle cliffy! Yay! My first one too!**

**R&R fellow readers!**

**logging out!!**


	5. Panic

Disclaimer: I don't own .hack/

**So here's the long awaited chapter. I know, I know, I took so long to update. But from now on I'll hope to update once a month just to see all of your wonderful reviews. Any questions don't hesitate to ask! **

**Zecross: You'll just have to wait and see what would happen to him *mischievous grin*. And yes, I'm planning to get all the .hack characters to gather if I'm able to, but Kite will remain the main character.**

**I'm putting a vote for pairings. I personally like KitexAura, and don't really fancy KitexBlackrose. So gimme your opinions! I welcome minor pairings as well!

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Chapter 5- Panic

Yasu consider himself to be a man of action. He does not like to be kept still in one place for too long. In fact, he just can't sit still, even if he was in a tight or awkward situation. His motto was to take action and not panic.

But in the current situation he is in, he could not help but let his mind go blank.

HE was panicking.

Yasu stood completely paralyzed as ruby red blood pooled under his best friend's form.

_Sai…_

_Sai…_

"SAI!" Was that his voice?

Yasu moved to help his friend, but he didn't know where to start. Or rather, he did not know how to.

Sai's body was mutilated with shards of glass beneath the shattered monitor. Wires pulled out of their sockets were tangled around his body, occasionally giving off sparks. Sai laid on his back, still with his visor over his eyes, and his body was twitching with pain.

_*twitch*_

…_God no…He's still conscious._

The thought of his friend feeling the jolts of electricity made his stomach churn. He felt sick.

"..O-Oi! Sai! Hang in there! I'll get help! Don't fail on me, you got that! Hang on!"

Yasu's voice shook and took on a high pitch.

Damn it! Of all the days for his family to be out…

_Get a hold of yourself you idiot! Your friend is dying in front of you! He's…dying…_

Yasu sprung up from his spot and carefully lifted the monitor off his friend.

Sai gave a painful moan.

Yasu gritted his teeth and flung the monitor to the side. He then crouched down beside Sai and gently untangled the cables off him, trying to prevent further damage.

The last of the cables came off.

_Oh god…_

Sai was punctured with so many glasses; it looked as if he had become a pin cushion for needles. There was blood everywhere.

Clenching his jaw, Yasu ran for the phone.

He had never run any faster than he ever did in his life.

As Yasuhiko run out of the room, blood red strands of data on his wrist surrounded the still twitching body of Sai.

It flickered for a few seconds.

Then it was gone.

Down the busy streets of Mac Anu, an Adept Rogue, a Harvest Cleric, a Steam Gunner, and a Tribal Grappler bickered merrily as the strolled alongside the river bank.

* * *

"You DID NOT! It was ME!" shouted the Adept Rogue.

"Pfft, yea right. If it wasn't for me, you would have been killed," scoffed the Steam Gunner.

"…P-Please guys, stop arguing…" stammered the petite Harvest Cleric.

"Tch…Boys…" said the Tribal Grappler. " Stop it already!"

They did not.

"I SAID STOP-!"

A sudden, loud, BANG could be heard throughout The World.

"What was th-?" They were cut short when a big shock wave exploded through the sky and the ground trembled..

"What's going on? Atoli, are you ok?"

"We need to find Master Yata!"

* * *

Aura looked up from her spot where she had been watching Zefie play.

A bright strand of data flickered through the sky as she felt the data system go crazy for a moment.

She recognized that strand.

_He's back…

* * *

_

**There you have it, my dear readers; I hope it's a little bit longer than the last time and satisfy you all until the next chapter.**

**Don't worry; I'll make the upcoming chapters as I go along.**

**Don't forget to R&R, and put your votes! They are the fuel of my persistence. **

**Logging out! **


	6. Trouble Arises

**Well, I hope you guys will be satisfied by this after all your complaints about being it too short. I'm sorry. But I really hope this will keep you guys on the edge for a few weeks because i'm going back to my hometown for two weeks. Can you believe it? TWO WEEKS WITH NO COMPUTER! THIS IS TORTURE!**

**I'm still waiting for more pairings, but so far, this is how it stands, including a vote from myself:**

**KitexAura 3**

**KitexBlackrose 2**

**KitexNatsume 1**

**One more note; if you want this story to continue, please contribute some ideas, because my mind is quite limited and i really appreciate inspirations.**

**ENJOY!**

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**Chapter 6- Trouble arises**

Pain…

That was all he could feel. Jolts of unbearable pain, and he could do anything about it.

_Where…am I?_

Sai's eyes fluttered open to reveal emotionless, aqua eyes. His face betrayed no pain, nor did he show any sign of struggle.

He took in his surroundings calmly. Or maybe a little too calm, but he could not help it; he was just too exhausted to register any reactions.

He was surrounded by countless data strands crisscrossing one another, with random codes and encryptions appearing and disappearing continuously. Everything was fuzzy and the occasional static shocks did not help one bit. But the most disturbing thing was the big red characters blinking in front of him.

**SYSTEM ERROR**

Was this some sort of system malfunction? This place looked familiar.

With a sudden jolt, Sai realized where he was.

_I'm in The World's network grid system._ A gap between reality and virtual reality.

_This is not good. Definitely __**NOT **__good. When I get my hands on Yasu-!_

Sai's rambling came to a sudden start. He was not rambling…in fact; he can't even open his mouth. His eyes widen and flickered anxiously from side to side. He tried to move his hands but it refused it refused to cooperate with his mind.

Sai looked down to see his body.

But it wasn't there.

He saw his legs, clad in orange pants and brown boots. His eyes roamed to his hands, which were also clothed in brown gloves.

Yup, that's definitely **NOT** his body.

He was in Kite's body.

The last time he was in this body was 5 years ago, taking in the sunset from Mac Anu before saying goodbye to The World.

What the hell is he doing in this body? And why in the world did he even create such a short, puny midget years ago?

_I didn't even log in-! Wait, Yasuhiko logged in for me, that bastard. If so, why am I even here? Shouldn't I be in Mac Anu? Is this the new system log in? _Kite (A/N: since he's in character, I'll be referring to him as Kite) shook himself mentally.

_Stop killing yourself with questions Sai. Just find a way to get out of here then you can fling Yasu to the Azure Seas. _

Kite tried to force his paralyzed body to listen to him, even a grimace would do. But the moment one of his fingers twitched, red data strands streamed towards him out of no where and bound his body tightly.

"AAAGHHHH!"

Kite's body arched backwards and his mouth let out a torturous scream. He felt as if his skin was being punctured by thousands of needles and someone running an electric current through him.

After a few moments, the pain subsided, leaving Kite winded and panting as thought he had ran a 400m sprint.

_W-Well, at least that got me to move and talk…I mean scream…_Kite grimaced at his dark sense of humor. Yasu had always said that Sai could joke about anything in any situation; looks like that guy was right.

_Look at me, thinking about such things at a time like this…__**huh**__?_

The constantly blinking SYSTEM ERROR was now winding itself from red data strands, the same one that had restricted Kite, to an indescribable shape, ranging between a sphere and a prism, never taking on a definite form.

Kite's years of experience encountering danger was how Kite could deduce the 'thing' in front of him was a big threat. He could feel the evil aura it emitted, and the thug on his navel was urging him to run, except that he couldn't.

Just as suddenly it had changed form, it stopped.

Everything was still, and eerily quiet.

_Never a good sign…_

Red filled Kite's vision.

His eyesight went blur for a few seconds before focusing on the red characters in his line of vision.

'#3Ll0, K!73'

Kite's eyes narrowed. He couldn't speak.

'm!$5 M3?'

_Who the hell are you?_ Kite thought back furiously.

'7ut,7ut, 7&m93r…'

"_Surely my daughter taught you better, to respect your superiors."_

Kite's body went cold…no…it can't be.

That slick, charming, cunning voice…

"_That's right my dear…"_

A loud whisper, clear into Kite's ear…

"_I have returned…"_

* * *

Nononono….No…

Denial was a very applicable reaction in this case.

_After all we've been through, after all our sacrifices, after all MY sacrifices…_

Utter fury and raged filled Kite's system, just enough to make his body flash towards the data sphere.

Just as he was about to strike it with his fists (A/N: his twin blades are temporarily out of commission), the same blinding pain from before froze him in his assault.

"AAGH!"

"_I would have taught you would learn your lesson the first time around. Looks like the hero hasn't grown up at all." _Her mocking floated around his mind like a serpent.

Only the intense pain kept Kite from retorting.

"_Kite, dear, you should stop hurting yourself. I'm only doing this for your own good. Imagine what my beloved daughter would say if she saw her savior in such a __**pathetic**__ shape,"_ The sickly voice hissed.

Kite snapped out of his daze.

_What do you want! Haven't you done enough damage as it is already?_ Even in his mind, Kite's tone was hoarse from the screaming. He ground his teeth and seethed, "…**M-Morganna…"**

Morganna cackled loudly in his head but Kite did not flinch. He would not give her any satisfaction.

"_What do I want? Why, isn't it obvious? Revenge, of course, on everyone who got in my way the last time. Especially you and that sweet daughter of mine."_

At the mention of Aura, Kite snapped at her, _leave Aura out of this!_

"_But where is the fun in that, besides tormenting you? Don't be so selfish, I have some business to deal with those who corrupted my darling children."_

Now Kite was confused. Wasn't he the one responsible for taking away her children?

He and … others…were the ones who defeated the eight phases. In what way did it corrupt them?

Even if Morganna does not have a corporal form, she could sense Kite's confusion, which delighted her greatly.

"_Ah…I see…our young hero here have been hiding out for 5 years. And in those 5 years, there are other heroes who have taken over his job,"_ She slurred on.

Kite could care less about his reputation. All he wants to do now is to hit Morganna in the face, even if she doesn't have one, if she lays one finger on innocent people that had to cover for his past mistakes.

"_I have waited many years. Too many. And now the wait is over, because __**you**__, my dear Kite, are my ultimate bait. __**You**__ are what I've been waiting for. It is time for my play to start, and you will be the main puppet_." Kite could hear her sneer_. "This time, my daughter will jump in the save the day, and when that time comes, I shall become the ultimate AI of everything. Including __**your**__ world."_

Kite gritted his teeth and struggled furiously against the red data strands binding him down despite the sharp pain.

Morganna watched gleefully as Kite continued to thrash about.

Kite was starting feel the effects of the pain; his body was starting to numb. Tired and wincing, Kite's vision slowly darkened and the red sphere, Morganna, faded back to SYSTEM ERROR.

Just before he blacked he heard one last horrifying phrase.

"_Let the show begin…"_

* * *

"Mama?"

Aura snapped out of her thoughts. Her daughter's face looked terribly concerned to see her mother space out.

Aura reached out a hand and laid it on top of the blond mop. "Hmm?"

"You looked funny, Mama. Like the time when Shugo nii-chan said he was thinking too hard."

The mother's pale eyes soften and gathered the younger copy of herself into her lap.

"I'm just reminiscing some old times, Zefie."

Zefie looked up at her mother.

"Can I ask you something Mama?"

"Mmmhmm?"

"…There was this data thread in the sky, Mama, it was very bright," Aura stiffened, "But then another red strand coiled around it and sort of…umm…zapped it? Then-then it faded away. I'm scared, Mama. Is something bad going to happen?"

Aura was stunned.

How could she not notice? Yet her daughter, a relatively young AI, had seen it. Was she that oblivious?

She shook herself; she can't reprimand herself now, it could be done later. But for now, as the goddess of The World, she could not let an unknown force threaten her territory, yet alone someone who had just returned after 5 years.

Aura set Zefie to the ground.

"Gather the Azure Knights, Zefie. We have work to do."

Zefie, always eager for some adventure, snapped into attention and beamed.

"YES MAMA!"

And she disappeared.

Aura looked back at the sky in hope to see that bright data strand once more, but found nothing. It had been too obvious to miss. His return must have been noticed by some people.

"…_another red strand coiled around it and sort of…umm…zapped it?..."_

_**Red…**_

_W-wait…AIDA? Or…?_

_No, it can't be. Yet…there's a possibility…Who would want him more than __**HER?**_

Aura thoughts were once more interrupted by Zefie, who had fazed back. This time, she was accompanied by three figures.

The Azure Knights; Sky, Sea, and Flame.

They all looked exactly like their original copies, except they are patched up by stitches.

Aura created them as AI in order to defend The World in the memory of the three heroes. But sadly, even if they are AI, they would never be as good as their counterparts.

Aura drew her full height and said in a commanding voice.

"Azure Knights, you have been called to investigate The World's grid system. I'm afraid there might be some sort of disturbance from the outside…or the inside. Gather data as quickly as you can, but do not engage in any fights unless it is absolutely necessary."

Aura gave a swift slash to her side, and at once, the trio disappeared.

Zefie, who was standing in the sidelines, could feel the tension on what was about to come.

Aura turned to her once more and her gaze softened.

"Zefie, go tell Aunty Helba that Mama wants to meet her as soon as possible. Can you do that?"

Zefie nodded and faded away once more.

Aura sighed.

_Where are you, Kite?_

* * *

Meanwhile…

(A/N: little bit of OC, but will not affect the main characters)

"Hey Jiro, you sure you want to handle this alone?"

The Blade Brandier nodded.

"Don't worry, Koi. I'll be back before you know it! Plus, this will be a chance to test my skills,"

"If you say so, but be careful alright? I can't challenge you gain with you in level 1." Koi warped out.

Jiro huffed indignantly, and faced the monster in front of him. It was a level 22, which was quite a challenge for him since he was only level 20.

Jiro ran towards it and striked.

"Razor's Edge!"

The monster roared in pain as a large gash appeared at it's side, but it recovered quickly and lunged.

Jiro side-stepped and swung his blade forward.

"Disaster Sword!"

It screamed and collapsed to the ground. As it started to fade, Jiro felt himself leveling up.

"Yes! Just wait till I tell Koi I got Devil Sword! I can imagine his face!" He turned to the mouth of the cave and started walking away.

But he did not see red strands of data coming out of the creature and shooting towards his exposed back. Nor did he realize that his real body had collapsed on the floor of his room.

All he remembered was feeling as thought something was pushed into his body and he felt unbearable pain.

All he could see, were the words:

'**Virus Core H inserted'**

'**SYSTEM ERROR'**

…

"_Welcome to the show, my puppet…"_

* * *

Yasuhiko jerked awake from his slumber.

He looked around blearily until his gaze landed on the young man in front of him.

The young man was sprouting cables from his body, attached to various types of machines. Heart monitor, brain monitor, breath monitor, etc. Bandages covered him from head to toe.

Yasu ran a hand through his messy hair.

_Sai…_

Yasu gave a loud sigh and slouched on his seat. What had woken him? Oh yea…voices…

He got up and stepped out of the room.

A couple was standing outside the room across Sai's, speaking with a doctor.

He could not help but overhear the conversation.

"Is she alright, Doctor?" asked a young teen with raven hair and ruby red eyes.

"Perfectly fine, Misaki-san. Don't worry, it is just an annual check up to see if she's still in perfect condition. Tell Aina's brother that she's fine."

"We will doctor. Thank you very much." The girl beside 'Misaki' bowed.

"Good day then, Misaki-san, Chigusa-san."

Yasu had heard enough. It was not his business. Why should he care?

Just as he was about to re-enter Sai's room, the boy called out to him.

"Yasuhiko-sempai?"

Yasu was startled. The only people who called him sempai were his kouhais.

Yasu turned around, and realized who it was.

"Ryou-kun?"

Ryou Misaki used to be his junior when he was in high-school, sophomore year, and rarely spoke to each other, even if they did know one another by name.

"Hai.."

Ryou was confused. He had not seen his sempai for 2 years now. The last time he had seen him was during the graduation ceremony with another guy…Nobuo-sempai, was it?

"What are you doing here sempai?"

Yasu did not expect the kid to be so direct, but Ryou did not press on, he was merely curious.

"I…"

Ryou grew even more intrigue. Yasuhiko-sempai rarely hesitated.

Yasu shook his head, and stepped aside quietly, revealing the small window on the door, just enough to see the patient's face clearly.

Ryou and his-ahem-girlfriend gasped.

_Is that…Nobuo-sempai?_

Chigusa did not know why, but she felt bad.

Yasu cleared his throat loudly and stepped away from the door. He tried to change the topic.

"So…Ryou-kun…umm…are you still playing The World?"

Ryou and Chigusa knew Yasu was trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Yea. Chigusa and I do. Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce you guys. Chigusa-chan, this is Yasuhiko-sempai, he used to be in my school. Sempai, this is Chigusa Kusaka, we met in The World,"

They smiled at each other. Yasu, hearing about The World, decided to amuse himself for awhile.

"So, how's The World doing? I used to play, you know." He grinned cheekily.

"It was fine until yesterday…" Chigusa bit her bottom lip.

Ryou sighed.

"There was some sort of shock wave yesterday…and there are rumors saying that some players went missing."

"Missing?" The former player went alert.

"Hai, Yasuhiko-san. But I think it's alright. CC Corp sent out a notice, saying they will investigate it. So there's no need to worry." said Chigusa.

Yasu narrowed his eyes. Those good for nothing CC Corp, telling people lies.

Ryou noticed Yasu's odd behavior, but he decided to let it go for now.

"Uhh, well, sempai, we have to go and meet up with our friends. So I'll see you next time. Or maybe visit…you know…Nobuo-sempai," Ryou Misaki bowed at Yasu, so did Chigusa.

Yasuhiko's eyes soften.

"Thank you Ryou-kun, Chigusa-chan. I'll see you guys some other time."

The couple walked away.

* * *

Ryou and Chigusa walked out of the hospital.

"Do you think that guy will be alright Haseo?"

"I don't know Atoli, but Yasu-sempai will take care of him,"

* * *

In front of Aura stands a tall, white-clad woman with a staff in her hand.

Helba

"You called?"

Aura gave her a small smile and looked her in the eye.

"I need you to gather Balmung and Orca."

* * *

**TBC.**

**That's all for now. I'm working out on how the 'real' plot would be discovered by Aura. That's a tough one. **

**Here are some spoilers on who i will bring in to this fanfic:**

**Haseo,Atoli,Pi,Kuhn,Yata/Wiseman,Endrance,Alkaid **

**Shugo,Rena,****Mireille**

**Kite,Orca,Blackrose,Natsume,Mistral,Balmung.**

**If you guys think i should put in some other main characters, please tell me.**

**And don't forget to R&R!**

**Logging out.  
**


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